Americans United - Minnesotahttps://au.org/tags/minnesota
enDeceptive Evangelists Invade Minn. Public School https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/deceptive-evangelists-invade-minn-public-school
<a href="/about/people/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The controversial fundamentalist Christian group known as the <a href="https://toddbecker.org/">Todd Becker Foundation</a> (TBF) is at again – this time, visiting and speaking at a Minnesota public school assembly, <a href="http://hometownargus.com/2016/12/06/controversial-foundation-speaker-comes-to-caledonia/">a local newspaper reported</a>. </p>
<p>According to a story in the <em>Caledonia Argus</em>, Keith Becker, who created the Nebraska-based evangelical foundation in memory of his late brother Todd, spoke to Caledonia High School students in a Nov. 30 assembly that troubled many parents.</p>
<p>“The school administration and staff were excellent to work with and we found the student body to be exceptionally respectful, receptive and engaged during the school day assembly,” Becker said after the assembly, which was partially funded by local churches. “Further, we felt the students responded very well to the assembly and that many were positively impacted.”</p>
<p>But the community reaction said otherwise. According to the report, Becker’s presentation had “some students and community members feeling uplifted and moved, while others felt put out and insulted,” and parents questioned why the school agreed to host the assembly.</p>
<p>It comes as no shock that many students felt excluded or insulted. The TBF has a history of proselytizing and spewing homophobic venom. Its main goal is to evangelize public school students.</p>
<p>Time and time again, TBF has proven to not abide by church-state separation. In 2010, <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/nebraska-group%E2%80%99s-evangelistic-rallies-at-public-schools-may-result-in-lawsuit?_ga=1.144027255.372258275.1472475397">Americans United warned</a> TBF about its unconstitutional practices, noting that TBF “can be held responsible for infringing on the religious neutrality of public schools.”</p>
<p>But TBF didn’t stop. In fact, <a href="http://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/anti-gay-christian-group-speaks-at-iowa-public-school-assemblies">its speakers continue to appear at public school assemblies</a> while masking its activities as issue-based talks that tackle student struggles such as alcoholism and drug problems. The group’s website notes that it has held assemblies in <a href="http://administrators.toddbecker.org/documents/AssemblyBrochure.pdf">300 different schools in 11 states</a>.</p>
<p>How does this organization keep worming its way into public schools? It’s actually quite sneaky. The foundation’s reps offer talks on secular subjects relevant to teens, but they quickly pivot to fundamentalist fear-mongering. </p>
<p><img alt="" src="/files/80113033.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 532px;" /></p>
<p><em>This fellow does not belong in your local public school. </em></p>
<p>The group often holds an assembly for students during the day that includes religious content. But while there speakers plug another event at the school in the evening. The latter event is voluntary but is usually promoted by the school, and students are encouraged to attend. There they get a hellfire sermon.</p>
<p>“If you consume alcohol or drugs or have sex and are underage you are going to hell,” Becker reportedly told students at an evening assembly at the school. “If you are a homosexual, you need to come down from the crowd get down on your knees and give your life over to Jesus, or you will go to hell.”</p>
<p>Becker’s disturbing force-feeding of fundamentalism didn’t end there. Steve Meyer, a pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, a local church, said that Becker advised the religious leaders he invited to go up to students after the event and talk to them about their “sins.” Meyer, who attended the event, said he thought Becker’s message was too extreme.</p>
<p>“Any wrong decision that anyone has made at any point meant you were a sinner and were going to hell, and I don’t agree with that message. There was no grace at all,” Meyer said of the assembly messaging.</p>
<p>Public schools are supposed to be a sanctuary for all students regardless of their beliefs, non-beliefs, sexual orientation, etc. They are <em>not</em> places for Becker and his cohorts to seek converts. </p>
<p>“We should’ve done a better job in vetting the speaker,” Ben Barton, the school superintendent, said of the assembly.</p>
<p>Indeed, and any other public school official considering hosting TBF should jump into the 21st century and use the magical tool known as Google to read about TBF’s horrendous history of church-state violations and religious discrimination. You don’t need an extreme vetting system for this, I promise.</p>
<p>In the meantime, if you get wind of a group like this coming to the public schools of your town, <a href="https://au.org/get-involved/report-a-violation/form">report it to us</a>. </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/use-school-buildings-religious-groups-during-non-school-hours">Use of School Buildings by Religious Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/todd-becker-foundation">Todd Becker Foundation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-school-assemblies">Public School Assemblies</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/caledonia-high-school">Caledonia High School</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/proselytizing">Proselytizing</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/homophobia">homophobia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/keith-becker">Keith Becker</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ben-barton">Ben Barton</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-meyer">Steve Meyer</a></span></div></div>Fri, 09 Dec 2016 14:46:11 +0000Rokia Hassanein12534 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/deceptive-evangelists-invade-minn-public-school#commentsIt’s Not Nice To Spread Religious Bigotry In Minnesota https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/it-s-not-nice-to-spread-religious-bigotry-in-minnesota
<a href="/about/people/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Not-so-nice things have been happening in Minnesota lately for religious minorities. A recent <a href="http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/10/25/antiislam-speakers-urge-rural-mn-prepare-muslim-attack">Minnesota Public Radio News report </a>highlighted a spate of disturbingly islamophobic speakers catering to the Religious Right’s rhetoric at events in largely rural areas of the state. </p>
<p>To start, a church in northern Minnesota hosted former FBI agent John Guandolo to talk about the “threat of Islam” – or as I call it – fear-mongering. Around 120 people attended the Warroad Baptist Church event, where Guandolo spewed anti-refugee rhetoric. </p>
<p>“Are you prepared?” Guandolo said, according to the report. “Are you prepared for the two or three dozen jihadis in, pick a city in Minnesota, with mortars or shoulder-fired rockets? You don’t think they can get those in the United States?” </p>
<p>There may be black market for weapons like that, but it does not follow that every Muslim in Bemidji is a threat. If anything it’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/14/three-kansas-men-calling-themselves-crusaders-charged-in-terror-plot-targeting-muslim-immigants/?utm_term=.aef01a00af8d">guys like this</a> we need to look out for.</p>
<p>Guandolo also told the crowd that “Minneapolis is lost,” asserting that the Twin Cities are overrun with Muslims. Apparently, hyperbole like this is his stock and trade. He uses his former FBI title to enhance his credibility and spew islamophobia around the country to police groups and the public.</p>
<p>In Warroad, Guandolo told the crowd that they’re “essentially getting the county fortified” by accepting refugees from Muslim-majority countries. (Yeah, right. Remember, these people are <em>refugees</em> – in many cases, they’re fleeing violent extremism.) </p>
<p><img alt="" src="/files/page_images/161137131.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 543px;" /></p>
<p><em>No, these girls are not secretly plotting to take over America.</em><br />
</p>
<p>On the bright side, the report noted that FBI officials in Minneapolis said that Guandolo’s hot takes are not a reflection of the bureau’s counterterrorism experts.</p>
<p>Guandolo was, however, just a warm-up islamophobe compared to another public speaker Minnesota has encountered this month.</p>
<p>“Islam is not a religion," Usama Dakdok, the son of a Baptist preacher, stated at an event. “It’ a savage cult. Therefore, it is unconstitutional for a Muslim to practice Islam in America.”</p>
<p>The word “cult” gets tossed around a lot, but it has no legal meaning. We don’t have levels of religion in this country, where the government decides some beliefs are fine but others can be suppressed. When Dakdok calls Islam a cult while saying it’s unconstitutional to practice it, all he’s doing is displaying his ignorance of the First Amendment. </p>
<p>Speaking of unconstitutional, Dakdok, an avid Donald Trump supporter, has continuously argued for the mass deportation of <em>all </em>U.S. Muslims in his speeches. Now <em>that </em>is a violation of the Constitution. (Also, where are you going to “deport” Muslims who were born here? Again, such blather shows zero respect for constitutional principles. Yet these people pose as patriots!) </p>
<p>Dakdok’s fear-mongering tactics are so extreme that police once had to interfere after he disrupted a peaceful “Meet Our Muslim Neighbors" event, also in Minnesota.</p>
<p>“His public speaking is very good,” Tim Eggebraaten, a police chief of Detroit Lakes, Minn., said. “If there was a room full of people that were fearful of Muslims ... I can see how he could get them agitated and worked up into a frenzy pretty quick.”</p>
<p>And therein lies the problem. Too many people do irrationally fear all Muslims, and that fear makes them believe that their peaceful neighbors are not to be trusted.</p>
<p>While reasonable and educated people denounce this fear-mongering and ignorance, we have to keep in mind that rhetoric does matter. Spreading hatred <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/us/politics/hate-crimes-american-muslims-rise.html?_r=0">endangers many people</a>, especially in this sensitive political climate.</p>
<p>People like Guandolo and Dakdok can inspire an audience member to become the next hate-crime perpetrator, especially with Minnesota’s growing <a href="http://www.citypages.com/news/st-cloud-is-the-worst-place-in-minnesota-to-be-somali-7976833">population of Somali refugees</a>. Of course, they have the right to speak at private venues, but when they do, Americans of goodwill should stand up and speak out against their campaign of bigotry and hate. </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islamophobia">Islamophobia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/refugees">refugees</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hate-speech">Hate Speech</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/usama-dakdok">Usama Dakdok</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-guandolo">John Guandolo</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-minorities">Religious Minorities</a></span></div></div>Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:33:23 +0000Rokia Hassanein12429 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/it-s-not-nice-to-spread-religious-bigotry-in-minnesota#commentsMinnesota Not-So-Nice: Restaurant Owner Says Muslims Get Out https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/minnesota-not-so-nice-restaurant-owner-says-muslims-get-out
<a href="/about/people/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A Minnesota restaurant owner responded to a tragic <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-mall-stabbings-might-realize-worst-fears-of-local-somalis/">stabbing</a> at a shopping mall in St. Cloud in an unfortunate manner. After the revelations that the perpetrator was Muslim, he decided to put a “Muslims Get Out” sign outside of his restaurant Monday morning.</p>
<p>Dan Ruedinger, the owner of Treats Family Restaurant in Lonsdale, then <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-restaurant-owner-defends-muslims-get-out-sign/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=28990283">gloated</a> to CBS News that business boomed so much after the sign was placed that he had to call in extra workers. </p>
<p>“It’s time that people started standing up, not worrying about the PC crowd and do what is right,” Ruedinger told CBS.</p>
<p>While the trend of people who want to offend or discriminate against others blaming “PC [politically correct] culture” never adds up, I find it distasteful that once again, so many Americans fight back against a socially-progressing culture this way. (If business is as booming as Ruedinger says it is, that’s kind of sad.)</p>
<p>Ruedinger says he will not take down or change the sign, and while he has the right to put up the offensive sign, he doesn't have the legal right to discriminate under federal and state law. The sign itself, however, is an explicit Muslim repellant. Will any Muslim even think of entering his restaurant when they see it? (Especially if they’re visibly Muslim and wearing the hijab)</p>
<p>The worst part is that Ruedinger doesn’t actually seem to understand the consequences of the sign, or even its true purpose. </p>
<p>“And I feel what we’re doing is right. We are not targeting the Muslims in general, just the extremist,” he continued. “And that’s all I can say. It’s my right and I’m going to stand up, and I wish more people would do it.”</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/files/468704076.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /></p>
<p><em>People should never be discriminated against based on faith. </em></p>
<p>So, as Ruedinger says that he’s only targeting the “extremist,” he’s interchanging “extremist” and “Muslim” as synonyms. If he was only targeting extremists as a result of the stabbing, why not say, “Extremists Stay Out” to send the message? Was that distinction rocket science?</p>
<p>But no, Ruedinger had to use the entire religious following, and then blame political correctness while attempting to set a discrimination precedent by “wishing” other people would “stand up” against inclusivity. That’s a dangerous road to go down.</p>
<p>Luckily, some good Samaritans snapped pictures of the sign, which drew national attention.</p>
<p>“I get it, it’s his right to say what he wants to say,” Payten Estepp told CBS. “But that’s giving Lonsdale a bad rap to everyone that drives by on 19, which is a very busy road, so people are going to see that and they’re going to think Lonsdale as a whole, as a community, is as crass as that sign.”</p>
<p>It’s not solidarity to the stabbing victims to alienate your fellow local residents because of their religion, and it never will be. Unity and equal treatment, not hatred, is the humanity people desperately need to see following the aftermaths of a tragedy.</p>
<p>I get that we all cope in different ways, but that is not a real way to heal a community. Everybody should be able to eat where they want to regardless of their faith or lack thereof.</p>
<p>This country has had enough signs telling groups of people where they can and can’t go throughout history. We should be moving forward. </p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice">Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice in the Workplace</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/muslims">Muslims</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/st-cloud">St. Cloud</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dan-ruedinger">Dan Ruedinger</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/political-correctness">political correctness</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/rokia-hassanein">Rokia Hassanein</a></span></div></div>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 12:54:15 +0000Rokia Hassanein12356 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/minnesota-not-so-nice-restaurant-owner-says-muslims-get-out#commentsMosque Mess: U.S. Government Sues Minn. Town Over Islamic Center Rejectionhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mosque-mess-us-government-sues-minn-town-over-islamic-center-rejection
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-e-jones">Sarah E. Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Members of the Abu Huraira Islamic Center claim they were unconstitutionally denied the permit by the city of St. Anthony in 2012. On Wednesday, the DOJ agreed.
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A Minnesota town is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for denying a zoning permit to a mosque.</p><p>Members of the Abu Huraira Islamic Center claim they were unconstitutionally denied the permit by the city of St. Anthony in 2012. On Wednesday, the DOJ agreed.<br /><br />Speaking at a press conference about the suit, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar didn’t mince words. </p><p>“An injustice has been done,” Lugar announced. “I will not stand by while any religious group is subject to unconstitutional treatment that violates federal civil rights laws.”<br /><br />He added, “Abu-Huraira’s right to hold prayer services in their building, in the city of St. Anthony, is the only resolution we seek. And we will not give up until we receive it.”</p><p>The lawsuit is the outcome of a federal investigation that spanned two years. As local NBC affiliate KARE 11 <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/28/st-anthony-mosque-lawsuit/14750451/">reports</a>, the town’s rejection of the permit, which would have allowed construction of the mosque in a light industrial area, immediately followed a contentious public hearing. Local residents packed the meeting to express opposition to the plan, and their reasons didn’t exactly have much to do with the practicalities of urban planning.</p><p>Rather, they took aim at Islam itself. The vitriol hurled at the original public meeting has been well-recorded by local press, and likely formed the impetus for DOJ’s investigation and subsequent lawsuit.<br /><br />“There is no other religion in the world that condones violence. Islam is evil,” <a href="http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/06/st_anthony_council_rejects_islamic_center_islam_is_evil_says_one_opponent.php">said</a> resident John Murlowski.</p><p>Added Rob Lundeen: “There are no pluses at all in letting this mosque into our city.”</p><p>Another unnamed resident <a href="http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/26385509/federal-lawsuit-against-st-anthony-village-for-islamic-center-rejection">told</a> the mosque’s members, “Where did you come from? Change your own country.”<br /><br />(The mosque’s members are <a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/north/272899591.html?page=all&amp;prepage=1&amp;c=y#continue">mostly Somali</a>.)<br /><br />And if those sentiments sound familiar, well, they should. They strongly resemble the public reaction encountered by members of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tenn., who endured a years-long legal battle in order to establish a place of worship. Opponents claimed that Islam didn’t actually count as a religion, and members were accused of plotting to overthrow the U.S. government. After members obtained official approval to build the mosque, locals vandalized the construction site by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/30/murfreesboro-mosque-fire-arson-accelerant_n_699696.html">setting fire</a> to equipment.<br /><br />And in Pocatello, Ida., residents <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/liberty-and-justice-for-some-mosque-controversies-reveal-limited">attempted to block</a> construction of a mosque this year, with one pastor arguing that the prospect of living near one made him “very fearful.” In Idaho, as in Tennessee, construction of the mosque eventually proceeded despite opposition.</p><p>That’s what should have happened in St. Anthony. City officials claim that they didn’t block the permit out of anti-Muslim animus, and pointed out that they refused a permit for a Christian church after denying the mosque. But that explanation didn’t satisfy DOJ.</p><p>Lugar noted that the city didn’t hesitate to approve a permit for a union meeting hall in the same industrial zone, and added that officials had no legal right to treat religious meetings differently than secular meetings.<br /><br />For its part, the city vigorously rejects accusations of bias. “We believe that there was no discrimination. This is really a very simple matter,” Jay Lindgren, city attorney, told KARE. “This is about St. Anthony only allowing religious uses in the parts of the city that are not industrial zoned.”<br /><br />But there’s enough evidence available to call Lindgren’s assertions into question. Given the city’s willingness to approve a permit for a union meeting hall in the same industrial area, it’s a bit suspicious that they would deny a permit for a mosque, which would have hosted assemblies of similar size. It’s particularly suspicious that the denial directly followed a contentious public hearing that showcased widespread local contempt for Islam.<br /><br />As I’ve written here before, the First Amendment applies to everyone. It doesn’t matter if you like someone’s religion; it doesn’t even matter if you think their religion counts as a religion. That distinction isn’t yours to make.<br /><br />Abu Huraira’s members, mostly Somali immigrants who escaped their war-ridden homeland for a chance at a safer, and presumably freer, life in the United States deserve the right to worship openly. No matter what their neighbors think.<br /><br />PS: The Wall of Separation is on hiatus until Tuesday, Sept. 2. Enjoy the holiday!</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-refusals-and-rfra">Religious Refusals and RFRA</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islam">Islam</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/zoning">zoning</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span></div></div>Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:27:58 +0000Ms. Sarah E. Jones10432 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/mosque-mess-us-government-sues-minn-town-over-islamic-center-rejection#commentsMarriage Law And Religion: Sectarian Lobbies Seek To Wed Church And Statehttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/marriage-law-and-religion-sectarian-lobbies-seek-to-wed-church-and-state
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Marriage equality doesn’t require a church to do anything except mind its own business.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Voters in four states will cast ballots on marriage equality next month, among them my adopted home of Maryland. Polls show that the Maryland measure, which allows same-sex couples to wed, just might pass.</p><p>Religious Right groups, of course, are doing all they can to ensure that doesn’t happen. They’re mustering all of the arguments we’ve heard before: Same-sex marriage will somehow harm families, it’s condemned by the Bible, it will lead to people marrying bicycles, etc.</p><p>Since so many arguments against marriage equality are based in religion, it’s useful to have members of the clergy speak out on the other side. Yesterday, the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, a prominent cleric in the Episcopal Church, did just that.</p><p>In a <em>Washington Post</em> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/liberty-and-justice-for-all-in-maryland/2012/10/10/5603c0be-1308-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_blog.html">opinion column</a>, Bishop Robinson pointed out that nothing in the Maryland measure forces religious groups to do anything. In fact, the law contains explicit protections for them.</p><p>“This bill ensures that religious institutions can continue to believe and practice their faith as they choose, unchanged by the law,” Robinson wrote. “Indeed, although such a freedom of religion is already guaranteed in the Constitution, the proposed law goes out of its way to reassure religious groups of that protection.</p><p>“In fact, no clergyperson of any denomination/faith is required to officiate at <em>any</em> wedding, gay or straight,” he added. “A clergyperson has the right to decline any request to preside at a marriage without giving any reason for doing so. That is already the law.”</p><p>Furthermore, Robinson pointed out, there are also provisions in the law making it clear that religious organizations will remain free to deny other types of services to same-sex couples.</p><p>“For example, even though it will remain illegal to deny a same-sex couple service at a restaurant in the state of Maryland, religious institutions can choose to not open their doors to same-sex couples for rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies, and for other marriage-related accommodations,” Robinson observed.</p><p>The battle over marriage equality in Maryland has been percolating for several years. I’m pleased to see people like Robinson raising the church-state issue because it’s key to the debate. </p><p>Conservative religious groups have a perspective on how to define marriage and who should be able to get married. That perspective comes from one particular interpretation of the Bible or from decrees handed down by the pope. They want marriage law to reflect those sectarian standards.</p><p>I don’t follow pro football, but I was impressed with<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendon-ayanbadejo/same-sex-marriages-whats_b_190591.html"> this insightful comment</a> by Brendon Ayanbadejo, a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.</p><p>“First and foremost,” he wrote, “church and state are supposed to be completely separated when it comes to the rule of law in the United States. So the religious argument that God meant for only man and woman to be together has no bearing here! America is not Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, Catholic, or any other religion that is out there. And the pantheon of gods can attest that there are hundreds of them. We are a secular capitalistic democracy. That’s it.”</p><p>In Minnesota, which faces a ballot measure that would ban marriage equality, Jonathan L. Eisenberg, an attorney and vice president of Americans United’s Minnesota chapter, laid out the church-state problems with barring same-sex marriage.</p><p>“The amendment is, at its core, an attempt to impose one specific religious view on all citizens,” Eisenberg <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2012/09/separating-church-state-marriage-amendment">wrote for MinnPost.</a> “That is not the proper role of government under our First Amendment guarantees of free exercise and non-establishment of religion.</p><p>“The proposed amendment is based on conservative religious views about homosexuality and ‘traditional’ marriage,” Eisenberg observed. “Its supporters rely on select biblical passages that, by their interpretation, condemn homosexual relations and support the view that only male-female marriages are allowed. They contend that same-gender marriages would violate the ‘sanctity’ of marriage, which is inherently a religious stance…. However, many sects and branches of religions do not share this view.”</p><p>Bottom line: Marriage equality doesn’t require a church to do anything except mind its own business. Fundamentalist arguments against it boil down to, “We say the Bible is against it.” The Catholic bishops base their opposition on church teaching. In a secular democracy, they will have to do better than that.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage">Marriage</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/maryland">Maryland</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/v-eugene-robinson">V. Eugene Robinson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jonathan-eisenberg">Jonathan Eisenberg</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/baltimore-ravens">Baltimore Ravens</a></span></div></div>Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:38:16 +0000Rob Boston7631 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/marriage-law-and-religion-sectarian-lobbies-seek-to-wed-church-and-state#commentsMinnesota Miscreants: Pompous Preachers Say They Will Violate Federal Law Against Church Electioneeringhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/minnesota-miscreants-pompous-preachers-say-they-will-violate-federal-law
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Religious Right’s relentless campaign to politicize America’s pulpits may take another step forward this weekend.</p>
<p><a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/71514/minnesota-pastors-plan-to-endorse-candidates-from-pulpit">According to the <em>Minnesota Independent</em></a>, two of the state’s pastors say they will endorse political candidates from the pulpit this Sunday, directly defying the federal tax law that prohibits churches and other non-profits from becoming involved with elections.</p>
<p>Brad Brandon of Berean Bible Baptist Church in Hastings, Minn. told KKMS radio earlier this week of his plans. He taunted the “liberal media” to file an IRS complaint against his church, asking them to “do it out of hatred for me.”</p>
<p>“I am not going to stop my pursuit of taking on the IRS,” Brandon told listeners on Tuesday. “Somebody has to stand up and fight, so I guess it might as well be me. So on October 17, ladies and gentlemen, I am continuing making this the day. I will endorse the candidates here in the state of Minnesota.”</p>
<p>Brandon indicated that he will endorse conservative candidates because he agrees with their positions against gay rights.</p>
<p>“At what point does our responsibility to God trump our responsibility to the government?” asked Brandon. “That’s my question. At what point does that take place? And I have decided that the point is now. Because we have hate crimes out there involving speaking out against homosexuality.”</p>
<p>Joining Brandon this weekend will be Greg Stone of Jesus Assembly of God in St. Peter, Minn., who announced his plans to violate tax law via Facebook.</p>
<p>“This Sunday we’ll talk about keys to overcoming,” he wrote. “We’ll also explain Pulpit Freedom Sunday and explain its relevance to Jesus Assembly – key to something that is about to happen at Jesus Assembly.”</p>
<p>Then he wrote a few days later that he will not be podcasting this sermon like he does the others.</p>
<p>“Tomorrow’s sermon is of such a nature that we will not be posting it on the internet. The same is true about the sermon for Oct 17th. (It is not likely that we will make CD’s available for either sermon.) Sometimes, ‘You just gotta be there.’ :)”</p>
<p>Stone and Brandon, like Iowa Pastor Cary Gordon, are eager to flaunt their law-breaking ways in an attempt to flout the IRS law, which they wrongly believe “silences” the church.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Gordon, an associate pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, Iowa, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-14-iowapastor13_ST_N.htm">prayed</a> for his church to come under investigation.</p>
<p>“Dear God,” he says, “please allow the IRS to attack my church, so I can take them all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.”</p>
<p>Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/09/iowa-churchs-election.html">reported</a> Gordon’s church to the IRS on Sept. 30 after learning of Project Jeremiah, a church-based campaign to encourage voting against three state supreme court judges in a retention election on the Nov. 2 ballot.</p>
<p>All this grandstanding is sad, particularly considering that most houses of worship, including evangelical churches, do not believe religious organizations should be involved with elections. They know their free speech remains unfettered; they just can’t turn their religious institutions into political action committees while maintaining a tax exemption.</p>
<p>The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in a 2008 <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2008/06/irs-reminds-churches.html">survey</a> asked CEOs from 60 evangelical churches, universities and affiliated organizations if their “churches advise parishioners who to vote for.”</p>
<p>The NAE says 59 respondents answered, “No!” – with many actually using an exclamation mark.</p>
<p>Most religious leaders understand why houses of worship should stay out of elections. But for the few that want to make a big stink of it, Americans United will be watching.</p>
<p>Let us know if you see or hear anything. If we get credible evidence, we will file an IRS complaint. For more information or to report a violation, visit AU’s <a href="www.projectfairplay.org">Project Fair Play Web site</a>.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/berean-bible-baptist-church">Berean Bible Baptist Church</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jesus-assembly-god">Jesus Assembly of God</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pastor-cary-gordon">Pastor Cary Gordon</a></span></div></div>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:36:22 +0000Sandhya Bathija2473 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/minnesota-miscreants-pompous-preachers-say-they-will-violate-federal-law#commentsClinical Trial: Taxpayer Funds Supported Bachmann’s ‘Christ-Centered’ Counseling Effort https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/clinical-trial-taxpayer-funds-supported-bachmann%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98christ-centered%E2%80%99
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">“This appears to be a textbook case of taxpayers’ funds for religious purposes.” -- AU Senior Litigation Counsel Alex J. Luchenitser</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Prominent critic of church-state separation and Religious Right darling U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is back in the news.</p>
<p><a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/59781/bachmanns-christian-counseling-clinic-receives-state-funds">According</a> to the <em>Minnesota Independent</em>, Bachmann and her husband, Dr. Marcus Bachmann, have used $30,000 in state funds since 2007 to run a counseling center that “uses counseling methods steeped in fundamentalist Christianity.”</p>
<p>The news report indicates that the clinic, Bachmann and Associates, Inc., has been receiving government funds to treat low-income Minnesotans for mental health and substance-abuse problems, but it has done so by using biblical principles and Christian counseling.</p>
<p>“We are distinctly a Christian counseling agency here in the Twin Cities,” Marcus Bachmann told KKMS radio in 2008. “We have 27 Christian counselors, Christ-centered, very strong in our understanding of who the Almighty Counselor is, and as we rely on God’s word and the Almighty Counselor, we have the opportunity to change people’s lives.”</p>
<p>All of the clinic’s counselors identify themselves as Christian and most, if not all, abide by fundamentalist Christian mission statements in their treatment of patients.</p>
<p>“Jesus as the Son of God is the Savior, Healer, and intimate Lover of my soul,” said one therapist on the <a href="http://www.bachmanncounseling.com/">clinic’s Web site</a>. “He invites those He calls to join Him on a personal journey to the Cross. Our entire being is healed and restored (body, soul, and spirit) as we surrender ‘our way’ for ‘His way.’”</p>
<p>AU’s Senior Litigation Counsel Alex J. Luchenitser told the online publication that there are some serious constitutional issues with the Bachmann’s clinic using taxpayer funds to proselytize or push a particular faith.</p>
<p>“It’s wrong for the government to buy clinical services that include submission to God or proselytization,” he said. “This appears to be a textbook case of taxpayers’ funds for religious purposes.”</p>
<p>Luchenitser added that it would be even more problematic if the Bachmanns only hired Christian employees while taking government funding.</p>
<p>“That would be religious discrimination,” he said.</p>
<p>The fact that Bachmann and her husband have no problems using taxpayer funds to push their religious dogma is not surprising. Bachmann has always been a favorite of the Religious Right and has been very vocal about her “faith-based values.”</p>
<p>Just a couple weeks ago, Bachmann <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/05/27/outmaneuvering-bachmann-minn-rep%E2%80%99s-military-strike-thwarted-by-au-reconnaissance/">attempted to add</a> language to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act giving military chaplains the right to push their personal beliefs at events where personnel from many faiths (and none) are present.</p>
<p>Bachmann also joined in as a sponsor to a House Resolution affirming the National Day of Prayer as constitutional and part of America’s historical traditions. She <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/04/22/prayer-day-politics-u-s-house-members-rush-to-criticize-court-ruling/">said</a> the district court’s decision ruling the day unconstitutional was “patently absurd.”</p>
<p>And the representative has been very vocal about her feelings on church electioneering, <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/03/10/bachmann-in-overdrive-minnesota-house-member-favors-church-electioneering/">stating</a> that she is sick of “radical leftist organizations” that “intimidate Christians” from speaking about politics from the pulpit.</p>
<p>But despite all this, we would like to think that Bachmann, as a member of Congress, knows better than to take state funds to run a sectarian organization. Catholic Charities and other groups may receive government funding, but they must keep their religious activities separate from their social services.</p>
<p>It doesn’t look like the Bachmanns are doing that. If the clinic wants state funds, it must perform secular social services – not proselytize or discriminate in hiring. It’s as simple as that.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bachmann-and-associates">Bachmann and Associates</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/faith-based-funding">Faith-based funding</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/inc">Inc.</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/michele-bachmann">Michele Bachmann</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-funding-religion">Tax Funding of Religion</a></span></div></div>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:40:10 +0000Sandhya Bathija2440 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/clinical-trial-taxpayer-funds-supported-bachmann%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98christ-centered%E2%80%99#commentsBypassing Booth: Minn. Pastor Dodges IRS Investigation – For Nowhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bypassing-booth-minn-pastor-dodges-irs-investigation-%E2%80%93-for-now
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A couple months ago, I <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/05/21/partisan-politicking-pugilists-debate-brings-together-opponents-and-proponents-of-church-electioneering/">blogged</a> about a lively debate I attended about politics and the pulpit.</p>
<p>It was an afternoon bringing together people from the entire political spectrum. Participants on a panel, including AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, discussed a provision in federal tax law that prohibits tax-exempt, non-profit organizations – including religious institutions – from endorsing or opposing candidates.</p>
<p>Sitting across the room from me at the event was Pastor Gus Booth, pastor of Warroad Community Church in northern Minnesota. He had come to Washington for the luncheon, and someone pointed him out to me.</p>
<p>I was curious to see who he was because Americans United had filed two complaints against Booth and his church after he blatantly violated IRS tax law last year.</p>
<p>In May 2008, Booth <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2008/06/irs-should-inves.html">told</a> his congregation, "If you are a Christian, you cannot support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Both Hillary and Barack favor the shedding of innocent blood (abortion) and the legalization of the abomination of homosexual marriage."</p>
<p>Then, in September, Booth violated the law again as part of the Alliance Defense Fund's "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," a scheme in which the Religious Right legal group urged clergy across the country to endorse or oppose political candidates from the pulpit. The ADF promised to represent these churches if any lost their tax exemption, hoping to challenge the constitutionality of the tax provision</p>
<p>Americans United <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2008/09/au-urges-irs-to-take-action.html">turned in</a> six of the churches we learned participated in the ADF plot. Over the years, Americans United has turned in dozens of religious institutions that have also violated the law.</p>
<p>We often receive questions from the public and the media asking whether the IRS really does investigate these churches. The IRS conducts its investigations under confidentiality rules, but occasionally, something turns up in the media that clues us in. That's what has happened this week.</p>
<p>It appears that the IRS sent a <a href="http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/IRSletterClosingFile.pdf">letter</a> to Booth months ago informing him that his church was under investigation. Now, due to a procedural matter, that investigation is on hold. But the IRS also said it might proceed with the investigation once that issue is cleared up.</p>
<p>Of course, Booth is singing a different tune. He told the <a href="http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/D99OD7JG0/">Associated Press</a> that the IRS backed down for fear it would lose in court if he challenged the revocation of his tax exemption.</p>
<p>I doubt it. Last year, the IRS had to halt its investigation into a church that reportedly violated the tax code because the IRS official filing the paperwork was not of a "sufficient" rank. Federal law requires that any audit of a house of worship be initiated by a high-ranking IRS official. I'm guessing the IRS is pulling back on Booth temporarily just to make sure the official who signed off on his audit is of sufficient rank.</p>
<p>Sometimes a procedural matter just gets in the way, but that doesn't mean the IRS doesn't take tax code violations seriously. It is well known that the Church at Pierce Creek in Binghamton, N.Y., <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/11/10/a-church-should-not-be-a-political-machine.html">lost its tax exemption</a> after it ran an ad in <em>USA Today</em> calling Bill Clinton a sinner and warned Christians against voting for him.</p>
<p>When the congregation contested the revocation in court, it lost at every level. No judge fell for the church's argument that it had "free speech" or "free exercise" right to engage in partisan activities.</p>
<p>So I find it highly unlikely that the IRS would have any reason to fear the Rev. Booth. In fact, that claim just sounds ridiculous, especially when it's Booth who risks losing the most.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/internal-revenue-service-irs">Internal Revenue Service (IRS)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/minnesota">Minnesota</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pastor-gus-booth">Pastor Gus Booth</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/politics">Politics</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pulpit">Pulpit</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-exemption">tax exemption</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/warroad-community-church">Warroad Community Church</a></span></div></div>Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:55:36 +0000Sandhya Bathija2374 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/bypassing-booth-minn-pastor-dodges-irs-investigation-%E2%80%93-for-now#comments